"All Balls Don't Bounce"
Aceyalone

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Ace's Ace
This was my first album that I purchased by Aceyalone. Previously, I've heard a few songs from Ace that had came out after this album. Personally, it wasn't that great. I always thought Abstract Rude was better than him by far, until I heard this album.

The song Knownots got me to buy this album. That's right. I bought the album for 1 song. To tell you the truth, Knownots is one of the lesser songs in this album. His presentation, flow, and style are what set him apart from the rest of Hip Hop.

His music is best described as the Hip Hop version of Scat music. It sounds as if someone should be hitting the bongos when Aceyalone starts up. I personally believe that no rapper can do it as well as Aceyalone did it, bringing in 2 different forms of music. The best part of the album is that there really is no filler songs, albeit the Remixes. Getting 22 tracks (29 including 3 non-songs and 4 remixes) that are good for 10 dollars is an amazing deal.

I'm seriously putting this in my top 5 greatest albums.

Lyrical linguistics with Aceyalone
Following Freestyle Fellowship's 1993 breakthrough Innercity Griots, the Los Angeles group's star broke out with his own solo debut "All Balls Don't Bounce" on Capitol in 1995. Aceyalone is a hip hop visionary and one of the most impressive MCs around. Where the Freestyle Fellowship records showed his abstract genius in the group setting, "All Balls Don't Bounce" allows him to stand alone in his full glory. From a lyrical standpoint, this album is astounding, and it'll probably take a while for you to realize it. But the way in which he perfects his syllables and flow to the beat, his quickly adjustable delivery, and his pure insight in every verse are incredible. I can't imagine the work that must have went into every one of these verses; their complexity is mind-boggling. Conceptually and poetically, Acey employs such deep linguistics and performs so meticulously that it's almost incomparable to the conventional rap album. From the performance standpoint, "All Balls Don't Bounce" is unmatched.

"All Balls Don't Bounce" is not a perfect album. The beats are spacey, and some are better than others. They carry a very underground feel, and while their sparseness does allow the MC to keep the spotlight, a few border on uninteresting. I've never felt that the album format completely does Aceyalone justice, because of the incredible performance aspect to his artistry, but "All Balls Don't Bounce" comes very close. Also, for such painstakingly written verses, a number of the hooks are weak and unimaginative. They do stress the "live" feel that Aceyalone values so much, but I wish some were a little better. Acey's songs are often unstructured and free-flowing, a style that lets him show his creativity. Guests are limited to the extended Freestyle Fellowship family.

The album opens with "All Balls," a jazzy number where Aceyalone delivers excellent rhymes from the second-person perspective. This song is upbeat, lyrically wonderful, and a highlight. He cleverly caters to a sucker MC on "Anywhere You Go," and guest Abstract Rude carries the nice "Deep and Wide." "Mr. Outsider" is sprawling and verbally head-spinning, but quite impressive. Acey kicks verses to an intriguing lady on "Annalillia?" and Abstract Rude returns with Freestyle Fellowship member Mikah 9 for "Knownots," a track of extra-literate battle raps. "Arhythmaticulas" has a weak hook, but the way Aceyalone weaves his complex, various-syllabled raps between the intricate beat is not short of amazing. On "The Greatest Show on Earth," he lets loose some deep and random thought. The first single was "Mic Check," which is quickly appealing both musically and lyrically. The bouncy xylophone-driven "Headaches & Woes" contains what might be my favorite performance on the disc; the verses are addictive. "Makeba" is a song to a woman in the same vein as "Annalillia?" but with a completely different tone. Abstract Rude, Mikah 9, and P.E.A.C.E. guest on the conceptual gem "B-Boy Kingdom," and the album closes with one of its best songs, "Keep It True" with Abstract Rude and Change of Rhythm.

"All Balls Don't Bounce" wasn't fully appreciated by its intended audience, and within a few years it was already out of print. In 2004, it was independently re-released with a bonus disc of rare and new material. Some cuts are remixes, and surprisingly, some unreleased cuts are just as good or even better than the material on the album. Following the "All Balls Intro" and "Universal Soldier" interlude, the "Headaches & Woes Intro" precedes the "Headaches & Woes (Remix)," which is refurbished with a new beat and a new verse. Two remixes of "The Greatest Show on Earth" follow, both distinctive and fully doing justice to the original. The second hardly resembles the original at all. "Mic Check" gets the remix treatment as well, with a new beat and verse. "Show Your Right" is laidback and thoughtful, and "The Nobodys" is blessed with the finest beat on either disc, a gorgeous, vibesy, sax-laced production. "They Don't Know" also exudes nice jazz vibes, and "Feet Up on the Table" is an enjoyable posse cut. Acey tells great stories on "TweakendZ" and "I Dream" and drops philosophy on "Believe in Your Self."

It's hard to review an album as unique and complex as "All Balls Don't Bounce." I find this to be a lyrical showcase and an impressive verbal work. It is not the perfect album, and those who value production values and musicality above all else in their rap should look elsewhere. But for those who have any appreciation of lyrical hip hop or creative artistry, I highly recommend "All Balls Don't Bounce." Aceyalone is a one-of-a-kind rapper, and he shows his genius here. The rereleased "All Balls Don't Bounce Revisited" is a great purchase, because not only does it put a rare album back on the market, but it includes a bonus disc of excellent material, as well as videos and enhanced content for the price of one album. You can't really go wrong with this package. It may take time, but those with a little background in alternative hip hop should really appreciate "All Balls Don't Bounce Revisited."

Fun, but not quite what I was expecting
Aceyalone rocks this album well. I definitely give this album four stars because it is without a question really good. My only complaints are that every now and again it get's a little repetitive and the songs start sounding like one another, but overall an excellent CD. Favorite song off both cds is Mic Check Remix. Awesome.

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